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MANUFACTURING, SUPPLY
CHAIN, LOGISTICS, &
TRANSPORTATION
MANAGEMENT
A PUBLICATION OF CERASIS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Manufacturing Trends
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
2016 Trends for the Manufacturing, Supply Chain,
Logistics, and Transportation Management
Industries
The industries of manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, and transportation
management, like much of the modern world, are seeing substantial change as new
technologies come on board. Thanks to technology and the movement towards a
digital everything mindset in the way business is done, many of the trends in this ebook focus on what would have seemed like impossible feats just a few years ago in
the manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, and transportation management industries.
From augmented reality, 3D Printing, the Internet of Things, and wearables to a
concurrent revitalization of how the success or failure of the implementation of
these advanced technologies truly hinge on solid and efficient fundamental processes.
Beyond technology, the trends in manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, and
transportation management shine a light on one of the most important parts of any
business: People. From a truck driver shortage, to a manufacturing skills gap, to
creating a more strategic business plan one can execute more efficiently thanks to
properly implemented systems and technologies.
We hope you enjoy this comprehensive look into the future as we outlay the top
trends that will shape the manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, and transportation
management industries not only in 2016 but for several years to come.
Chapter One
MANUFACTURING
TRENDS
Manufacturing Business Technology recently wrote the 5 e-commerce trends for 2016
for manufacturers to look at that include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
A recent report by Frost & Sullivan, The Future of Parts and Service Retailing in the
Automotive Aftermarket , predicts that by 2025, 10 to 15 percent of all global parts
sales will be made online. This trend will be seen in the Equipment Manufacturing
sector as well, especially in international markets.
The hindrance for manufacturers in the past was having a system in place to handle
opening up to multi-channel or even omnichannel sales. However, with the various
supply chain systems manufacturers use, such as ERP, WMS, and TMS, the systems
must all provide options to integrate together with such e-commerce platforms like
Magento, Shopify, and others in order to take hold in 2016.
Advanced Analytics Continue to Get a Bigger Plate at the Manufacturing
Dinner Table
Advanced analytics will be further involved in everyday manufacturing operations.
The workplace will become more efficient and safer due to the digitalization of assets,
known as digital manufacturing, which allows for digital design and even distributed
manufacturing.
Manufacturers will be able to improve their inventory due to the information
presented by both supply chain and operations data.
Logistics and Transportation Managers at manufacturers will have reports at their
fingertips on how to continue to reduce transportation costs, a heavy portion of the
expense budget, by leaning on data to continually improve.
Manufacturers are turning to advanced analytics to predict when a machine on the
production floor is going to fail so they can perform preventative maintenance before
a failure causes expensive unscheduled downtime.
These few areas of the application of advanced analytics are some of the applications
by manufacturers. production.
The IFR predicts double-digit growth in industrial robots worldwide between this
year and the end of 2018, citing the following reasons why we are seeing such
adoption of robotics:
Industry 4.0, linking the real-life factory with virtual reality, will play an
increasingly important role in global manufacturing.
Human-robot collaboration will have a breakthrough in this period.
Simplification of the use of robots will open up huge potentials in all industries
including small and medium-sized companies.
Global competition requires continued modernization of production facilities.
Energy-efficiency and using new materials, e.g. carbon-composites, require
continued retooling of production.
Growing consumer markets require expansion of production capacities.
Decline in products? life cycle and an increase in the variety of products require
flexible automation.
There is an increasing demand, particularly from manufacturers of electronics
products such as smart phones, tablets etc., for easy to use robots with limited
applications and short life cycle that have a low price, e.g. for simple assembly
tasks which do not require high precision.
Continuous quality improvement requires sophisticated high tech robot systems.
Robots improve the quality of work by taking over dangerous, tedious and dirty
jobs that are not possible or safe for humans to perform.
Between 2015 and 2018, it is estimated that about 1.3 million new industrial robots
will be installed in factories around the world.
Further companies will partner with both local community colleges and large university
to bridge the skills gap by developing STEM partnerships.
Chapter Two
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
3D printing has major applications for the creation of service parts much closer to the
end user than historically available. In 2016, the use of 3D printing for manufacturing will
grow to focus on the customer-driven designing and co-creating of individual items. This
aspect of manufacturing in 2016 will dramatically change how customers view custom
product. Imagine ordering something for your size, only in your size, without the need to
visit a tailor or make alterations. Now, imagine these applications on a broader scale in all
forms of manufacturing, such as printing electronics on-site, during the construction of
an airplane. This trend will really change the industry.
What makes or breaks the use of a new technology in manufacturing? 2015 saw the
improvement of many different technologies, and manufacturers are looking to 2016
with confidence. Yet, recent shake-ups in overseas markets have catalyzed woes and
hopes for US manufacturing. Fortunately, many of the forthcoming technologies will
be able to circumvent these fears. Let's take a look at the five remaining technology
trends to watch for in the coming year.
The use of virtual reality or augmented reality will be a defining factor in how these
materials are selected. Once, engineers and designers had a simple list of materials
to use, but innovation led to a conglomeration of hundreds, if not thousands, of
materials to use that were considered superior to those of the past. As advanced
materials came along, as new alloys came along, as super alloys came along for
making engines go to higher temperatures and better fuel efficiencies, explains
Ken Klapproth, a designer of jet engines for Pratt & Whitney, the ability to kind
of manually look through those materials and compare all those variablesin your
head or on a spreadsheetbecame too difficult.
Chapter Three
These trends are clear in that technology will continue to, as it has over the last
decade, drive change in supply chain management. However, what is refreshing to see
is that although technology and innovation are a focus, that also we must understand
the fundamentals in order to make it all work. It was Bill Gates who famously
quipped:
The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an
efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied
to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.
So, we must put a note on these technological trends: make sure you are looking at
your processes and your people. Do you have the most efficient process that you can
then scale with technology and automation? Do you have the right people in place?
As you will see from one of our trends, we in the supply chain industry, and as we
first hand know at Cerasis, that if you do not have the fundamentals down and the
right people in place, it is very tough to get the results you seek. After all, any
professionals job is to do the best job the most cost and time efficiently all while
reaching your goals.
Reimagine supply chain as a digital supply network (DSN) that unites not just
physical flows but also talent, information and finance
This new breed of supply chain is more connected, intelligent, scalable and rapid than
traditional supply chain management.
In a metaphorical sense, the DSN enables people and dataas well as materials,
products and suppliesto travel together across the extended enterprise.
This is vastly different from digitally enhanced supply chains which (because they are
never stronger than their weakest links) have less potential to help companies:
Rapidly reach new markets and quickly build and scale new offerings
In todays global and connected economy, digital supply chains are the on-ramp to
innovation and success. And if you want to be among the winners, you need to get on
the highway and go fast. Start today by re-imagining your supply chain. Develop digital
strategies that allow you to proactively evolve ahead of the competition. Employ
comprehensive solutions that support the entire source-to-settle process and create
value for all parties involved in it.
#2: Responding to Innovation & Change But with An Eye On Fundamentals
As stated by Accenture on what is the digital supply chain, that you must rethink the
supply chain. And, remembering Bill Gates, if we do not keep our eye on the
fundamentals, technology will only put a spotlight on inefficient process. In this 2016
Supply Chain Trend, we are going back to the basics.
The ability to accept innovations and take advantage of the synergy effects of
individual movements is a core competence of future-oriented companies. Not losing
sight of the essentials while filtering out what is personally important, requires our full
attention and continual development. Nevertheless, we reach our limits time and again
and need support, e.g. from operations research, which provides us with intelligent
decision-making algorithms enabling us to keep up with todays fast-paced operating
environment.
According to Grant Marshbank, COO of VSc Solutions, supply chains will face a
number of challenges, he said: Supply chain managers are already under huge pressure
to adapt to turbulent economies, labor issues, and expansion into global markets.
The bad news is that the rate of change isnt going to slow down. The good news is
that emerging trends hold opportunities to reduce both costs and carbon footprints,
and enable exceptional customer service at the same time.
Technology will only deliver the intended positive results if it is implemented with
strategy and operations that adhere to best practice in supply chain management. Get
basics right first. Not even the smartest technology can compensate for less-than-best
practices, he added.
Real-time system integration, secure data exchange, visibility and traceability between
disparate systems across multiple supply chains and industry verticals are just some of
the options already available through technology,
2.
3.
4.
The Journal notes that UTC plans a $1.5 billion restructuring effort through 2018 that
could include closing or shifting production related to half of the companys 42
million square feet of manufacturing space. The weak link in our whole
manufacturing process remains the supply chain, UTCs chief executive says.
Meanwhile, GE is deploying strategies like purchasing small suppliers that provide
critical parts or services.
None of those strategies work without a strong procurement practice that is integrated
with other supply chain processes.
Like social networks, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, business networks house
incredible amounts of insights and data. Procurement will unleash the power of this
information to optimize their supply chain decisions and accelerate innovation and
growth. They may, for instance, access performance ratings on potential trading
partners along with recommendations from the community to determine who to do
business with. Or detect risk across the multi-tier supply chain based on world events
and geopolitical risk factors. They might combine in-the-moment demand data with
historic trends to predict stock outages before they happen and direct replenishment.
Or gain real-time insights into invoice approval status to more efficiently manage cash.
#7: Collaboration Continues to Take Center Stage for Efficient Supply Chain
Management
Speaking of supplier collaboration, many companies have taken steps to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of their supply chain operations by automating key
processes beyond procurement to areas such as with orders, invoicing, and payment.
This is with good reason backed by data.
According to Emily Rakowski of the Procurement Leaders:
Research shows that companies who have embraced digital strategies are seeing real
value, boosting revenue more than nine percent, market valuation more than 12%, and
profitability by over 26%.
Led by procurement, many of these companies will take things to the next level and
enable new processes that drive more collaborative, intelligent, and transparent ways of
operating. Processes like dynamic discounting that allow them to secure discounts that
can be reinvested in research and development and funding to expand their business.
By ensuring supply chain entities work together in a smarter way, businesses will be
able to benefit from more efficient and effective operations.
Some benefits realized from more collaboration in the supply chain include:
Collaboration Increases Share of Wallet: This simply means over time you gain a
deeper relationship, thus in the trust of the customer, you gain more of the
business.
The Longer the Collaboration, the Lower the Costs: Over time, trusted
collaboration begets an understanding so intimate, you begin to understand each
other and almost "finish each other's sentences." Simply put, you know internal
processes and have a work flow that minimizes resources spent on administrative
or time intensive tasks.
The Power of Word of Mouth: The old saying is true "If you do right by someone
(in business), they will do right by you." Referrals are the life blood of any
business, and if trust and collaboration is a part of a business relationship, a
supplier, OEM, or the 3PL can refer you to get more business.
Innovation through Long-Term Collaboration: This goes back to the second point.
The more you understand the pains and the processes of the client the easier it is
to lead towards innovative ways which lead to further hard and soft cost savings.
Here is a great video from Dimension Data about the Collaborative Supply Chain that
will drive the point home (click to view video):
The Internet Of Things: Often overlooked in all of the consumer hype around
the Internet of Things (IoT), are mobile and tablet devices. These tools have
quickly become mainstays for the remote workforce, and are rapidly evolving to
support supply chain management functions.
Digitization of Data: Moving from manual (or even hand-written) information
and data to a centralized and secure cloud-based solution minimizes costs,
eliminates inconsistencies, and standardizes the data formatting, which then
opens up the capabilities of Big Data.
Shift to Big (but Usable) Data: With the ability to quickly and easily standardize
the collection of supply chain data from vendors, operations and logistics pros
will now have access to bigger and more data than ever before, allowing them
to better optimize operations.
SCM Organizations Will Begin to Adopt Application Convergence Strategy: One
way companies can do this is to layer on top of their existing robust supply chain
systems with a light weight cloud-based solution.
Risk Management Comes to the Forefront: Supply chain risks come in a variety
of forms. From counterfeit products, product integrity, and quality, supply chain
stakeholders are constantly faced with a barrage of SC failure points. Ultimately
the focus of risk management is on making sure that supply chain continuity is
maintained in the event of some unforeseen interruption.
Operations Planning and Inventory Optimization Go Under the Microscope:
Going hand-in-hand with SCRM, is looking at what aspects of the supply chain
are optimal for cloud-based solutions. While the data has proven the security of
the cloudthere are still substantial concerns about the security of data there.
There are a number of benefits surrounding the move to cloud-based supply chain
management. Most of them center around reducing costs (if youre using SAP or
Oracle, you know SCM can be extremely costly), efficiency (apply same
methodologies, processes and tools across different vendors), and scalability (whether
youre working with 5 or 500 factories, being able to manage quality and cost is
critical).
#11: Wearables are the New Hot Trend on the Supply Chain Block
Wearable technology, combined with the use of cloud software, will become much
more widespread across the industry in 2016. The ability to access and input data in
real time is the key way in which suppliers will be able to meet stringent demands of
customers.
With the wearable technology market set only to grow, the supply chain must be
prepared for the influx of new devices, allocating resources and sourcing new parts,
as well as ensuring all technicians and other relevant people are trained. In particular,
the supply chain industry must be ready as we are yet to see how this new product
category will impact reverse logistics.
Wearable technologies like Apple Watch, Fitbit and Google Glass are revolutionizing
our daily experiences, and soon drones, self-driving cars and self-piloting planes will
be the norm.
So why not take advantage of these game-changing technological developments when
it comes to your supply chain? For example, smartwatches could help site managers
observe real-time performance of business processes, productivity, inventory levels
and deliveries. As a result, this will improve productivity by utilizing this information
to make more informed decisions.
Wearables will also help in the following 3 ways according to East West Manufacturing:
Boosting Labor Productivity and Efficiency: Adding wearables to your supply chain
allows workers to focus on high-level tasks and leave data entry to the machines. Let's
say a distribution center receives a truckload of goods. Instead of physically counting
boxes, the receiver takes a count using eye movements that are tracked by tech
goggles similar to Google Glass.
Improving Safety: Wearables allow you to monitor employees and machines in real
time. Measure workers' speed and efficiency and capture repeat errors. Pinpointing
issues and quickly resolving them will keep your processes running smoothly.
Wearable devices can also track vitals like body temperature, heart rate and blood
pressure to prevent exhaustion, heart attacks and other health issues that plague
overworked employees.
Delivering Better Quality Products and Services: wearable devices help detect errors
or anomalies sooner than humans can without their help. Monitor the speed and
efficiency of every step of the manufacturing process to identify and resolve
bottlenecks. Pinpoint the source of quality issues and remedy the problem on the
spot to prevent major quality crises.
#12: A Continued, Renewed (Or New) Focus on Data Analysis for Continual
Improvement & Better Supply Chain Visibility
There are multiple benefits of leveraging data analytics for the supply chain industry,
including reducing forecasting errors and enabling informed forward planning decisions,
and better predictions for product and parts demand.
Use of Integrated Technology for efficient data interchange to decrease errors and reduce
overall resources needed to execute supply chain functions such as transportation,
warehousing, and inventory management.
Supply chain visibility has long been a goal supported by supply chain professionals. Until
recently, however, technologies that could make this goal a reality have not been available.
Today, however, there is hardly an activity that doesnt produce some kind of data that
can help companies understand what is going on within their supply chains. As the ability
to see more clearly and deeper into supply chains improves, supply chains will become
safer and more secure. Lora Cecere, of Supply Chain Insights writes, Today 1/3 of fruits
and vegetables and poultry products are thrown away due to spoilage. Companies struggle
with counterfeit goods. In the future I expect the automation of the chain of custody
with better control of temperature and secure handling.
Professor Burcu Keskin from University of Alabama adds, Data coming from different
sensors located at different suppliers from their production and transportation operations
carry a lot of information regarding the quality of production process and timeliness of
delivery. At the same time, this data may indicate possible issues in the procurement
process, regarding product quality and delivery. Monitoring and analysis of this data may
provide opportunities to intervene before issues becomes major problems. Better
visibility can also result in real-time inventory management.
The experts at PLS Logistics Services explain, Leading retailers will begin implementing
mobile point of sale (POS) systems, beacons, sensors and other technology that will
revolutionize inventory management and the whole buying experience. Customers will be
able to pick up an item and simply walk out of the store, with the price of the item
automatically charged to their card. Real-time visibility, both in the store and throughout
the supply chain, will allow inventory to be replaced as it is moved, and items produced as
they are bought.
Chapter Four
Industrial IoT and big data are converging to enable demand-driven 'smart supply
chains.' The advancements in 3D printing and 'Additive Manufacturing,' coupled with
supply chain efficiencies, could make distributed manufacturing a reality, ushering in
the era of smart manufacturing.
The promise of AM is the use of less material, lightweight alloys and to provide faster
cycle time due to rapid prototyping. The AM processes would produce less scrap,
address complex geometries and improve strength-to-weight ratios. AM has the
potential to move manufacturing from mass production in large factories with
dedicated machining and tooling lines to an era of mass customization and distributed
smart manufacturing.
It would be interesting to watch how AM matures in the years to come because it is still
in early stages. AM cost centers are currently more expensive than traditional CNC
machining, and the production rate is slower once you move past the rapid prototyping
phase. The powdered material availability and suitability in a variety of industrial
applications is still evolving. The mechanical properties of the parts produced with AM
have to be proven. It is especially important in the industries such as automotive,
aviation and energy, where failure of a part has direct safety implications.
Smart Manufacturing will Make Supply Chains Demand Driven not Forecast Driven
This brings us to customer- and market-driven supply chains. Most companies think they do
their supply chain planning based on the demand in reality most of the time it is nothing
but a disguised forecast based supply chain. To gain and sustain competitive advantage, the
principles of lean manufacturing, just in time and inventory control are simply not enough.
Organizations would need to be not only aligned with true customer demand but also shape
the demand using technology and analytical tools.
Supply chains need to move away from being forecast driven to become demand driven.
Forecasts by their very nature are inaccurate. You cannot simply go by historic sales
patterns, throw in current market conditions and seasonality, and hope for the best. One
needs to shape the demand, the goal needs to be maximization of the profit, not simply
reduction of cost or maximization of revenue. The essence of demand shaping is knowing
about your most profitable customers and products, and protecting and promoting them.
All customers are not created equal. The data science algorithms can help in customer
segmentation and clustering. They can tell which customers are the lowest cost to serve and
which are likely to buy the highest profit products. The current crop of big data and
analytics tools provide a way to integrate data from sales, marketing, action of customers,
product reviews, competitor information, warranty data and supplier status in near real time
to make demand-driven supply chains a reality.
Big data can help in capturing structured and unstructured data from sources internal, as
well as external, to the enterprise. Big data now enables "postponement" a practice that
allows manufactures to delay building final finished products until the very last possible
moment, to be truly sensitive to customer demand.
Smart Manufacturing Driving Reshoring?
This leads us into our final trend of distributed smart manufacturing. There have been
opposing trends of strategic outsourcing of manufacturing versus bringing more and more
manufacturing in-house. The first approach provides flexibility, frees up capital resources,
lowers cost and speeds up product development. The inherent risk with the outsourcing
approach is the potential to lose intellectual capital, lack of control on the process and
quality, and the potential of brand dilution.
Strategically, smart manufacturing is the future of manufacturing. In the next few years,
Industry 4.0 will bring advances in AM, IoT enabled connected factories, manufacturers and
distributors, and end consumers will make distributed manufacturing a reality.
Chapter Five
LOGISTICS INDUSTRY
TRENDS
We have discussed how manufacturers are changing the landscape through surprising,
innovative trends. Changes in manufacturing processes, which will increase
production, lead to one ultimate result--the logistics industry must change. For thirdparty logistics providers (3PLs), logistics industry trends will dramatically affect how
logistics providers of all sizes operate. Take a look at some of the top trends to
expect in 2016 for the logistics industry and how they will inherently relate to the
merger and acquisition trends.
Chapter Six
LOGISTICS TECHNOLOGY
TRENDS
Innovations in technology are changing how the world does business, and technology
is dramatically changing how entities in the logistics industry function in nearly every
aspect. From increased affordability and efficiency of the transportation management
system (TMS) to the application of Bluetooth technology for superior tracking of
product movements, 2016 will be the year in which technology becomes an integral,
if not the exclusive, part of the shipping process. Now, it's easy to think of
technology as being a manufacturer-only realm. Yet, technology breakthroughs are
further pushing the bounds on what we see as normal shipping standards. Let's take a
look at what logistics technology trends will become the dominant factors of the
logistics industry for 2016.
If drones are being used for such an artistic display of human compassion and
intelligence, logical reasoning leads to a notion in which autonomous truck delivery of
products is perfectly acceptable. Autonomous vehicles, which are essentially unmanned
vehicles, are also going to become common. In fact, autonomous vehicles are already
being used by a logistics provider in Arizona.
This holds major implications for addressing the driver shortage and minimizing the
potential damage from long-haul driver fatigue. Ultimately, third-party logistics
providers (3PLs) and other shipping entities are looking towards the insurance industry
for the successful roll out of this technology. Historically, the insurance industrys
approval has led to some of the most successful roll outs of assisted-driving
technologies in the market. For example, when the insurance industry approved the use
of GPS and traction control measures in vehicles, the application of these logistics
technologies became widespread within a few years.
As explained by Alexa Cheater, Google announced in 2011 plans to develop an
autonomous, or self-driving car. In early 2015, Apple announced plans to ship its first,
albeit far from ready today, self-driving car in 2019. As more companies become more
involved in the idea and benefits of a self-driving truck, the role of this technology will
become increasingly linked with the logistics industry. It will also save money on fuel
costs, which results in savings of the cost of shipping.
For example, a self-driving truck may lock onto a truck in front of it, which would
result in a train effect for the shipment. At first, this doesn't seem like it would
logically save any fuel costs. However, a procession of trucks moving in tandem, at a
safe distance from one another, and able to communicate with one another in the event
of a blow out, accident, or other event, would help to reduce drag on the overall
caravan, which results greater fuel efficiency.
3. The Use of Robots in Warehouses, Loading, Unloading, and Delivery Will
Increase in 2016
Have you missed anything about the sale of robots for logistics purposes recently? A
few years ago, Kiva robots seem to be rolling out everywhere. Then, Amazon
purchased Kiva, and they vanished. In todays reality, Amazon uses these robots
exclusively for internal production. However, this has not stopped other robotic
inventors from working to create similar systems that do not impinge on the Kiva
patent, asserts Steve Banker of Forbes Magazine.
The GreyOrange Butler robotic systems take the leg work out of the picking process
by bringing shelves to the pickers, and Fetch Robotics Freight has developed a mobile
base and a mobile picking robot to make the physical workload of manually picking
items and placing them in a given tote simpler and less strenuous. There are many
other types of robotic systems in development, and more are being created to make the
logistics industry run more efficiently. 2016 will an increase in the use robotic
technology in more warehouses, when loading shipment and freight on tow trucks,
when unloading shipment at distribution centers, and possibly when the item is
delivered at the doorstep.
Although each of these technologies will help to bridge the gap between large-scale
and small 3PLs, none of them would be function at todays level of efficiency without
the Internet of Things. In the next portion of this series, we will take a closer look at
forthcoming changes and trends in the Internet of Things for logistics providers, and
we will move forward into how the technology of 2016 will rely on Omni Channel
solutions and become further interconnected through a non-internet-driven device that
you probably have in your office right now--Bluetooth connectivity.
Chapter Six
TRANSPORTATION
MANAGEMENT TRENDS
2016 will be a defining year for the logistics industry, and transportation management
practices must adapt to these changes. Some of these transportation management
trends reflect real worries for the logistics industry. However, logistics providers and
shippers are starting to understand how to best combat each of these problems
through the application of transportation management technologies. Take a look at
six of the trends to watch for in transportation management this year.
CONCLUSION
Modern business is changing, and the manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, and
transportation management industries is no exception. In 2016, companies will need
to make serious changes to processes and standard operating procedure in order to
survive the problems faced and these trends. From an increasing focus on meeting the
demands of compliance and regulatory measures to executing IoT deployment m
trucks as a means of improving and reducing the impact of the driver shortage, each
of these trends will help refocus these industries to the big picture, not the
individual picture. However, it is vital that the fundamentals are adhered to in order to
not let any new technology, tool, or process implemented only shine a bright light on
the inefficiency of your company.
We hope you enjoyed this educational e-Book on the trends for 2016 and beyond in the
manufacturing, supply chain, logistics and transportation management industries.
Cerasis, a transportation management company founded in 1997, has always believed in the use
of technology to improve process to not only reduce cost but to stay strategic, competitive, and
have the ability to use data from technology to continually improve. In fact, one of our core
values is just that: continuous improvement of our people process and technology.
We built our Cerasis Rater TMS in 1998, launching it as web-based before Google was even a
business. Our (now Army, as our Development Manager, Jerel Byrd calls them) development
team are always continually improving the Cerasis TMS, as we know it is vital to have a system
that is not only innovative, but sound, secure, and enables those in transportation to do their job
all while doing it cost effectively.
Are you using a TMS to help manage your transportation department as a shipper? What are
you seeing in the space?
In addition to our transportation management system (TMS), the Cerasis Rater, when you are a
Cerasis shipper, you gain access to the following managed services:
Comprehensive end to end freight claims management: if your freight is damaged or lost,
we will handle the freight claim on your behalf
Carrier Relations: We will negotiate rates on your behalf and you get better rates thanks
to our buying power
Reverse Logistics
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